neverfinished
Community Member
Preserving the Reef
One of the natural wonders of the world are the reefs. Ocean reefs are a necessity to many marine inhabitants. Without living reefs many fish would disappear because of lack of food and shelter. Many aquarists have already realized that this might soon become a reality. In Jonathan Birds article, Coral Reefs: Rainforests of the Sea, he speaks about the impact of overfishing and collection of corals. Thousands of corals and fish are harvested every year from the wild to be offered for sale in the marine hobby which is causing a devastating effect on the marine ecosystem. One of the ways aquarists are trying to combat this issue is with aqua-cultured marine life. Aqua-cultureis the practice of sustainably growing corals and breeding marine fish in a closed environment, which is not taking away from the marine ecosystem. There are many benefits to purchasing aqua-cultured marine life as opposed to wildcaught specimens.
One benefit of aqua-cultured corals and fish is that they are less prone to diseases and parasites. With corals being grown in captivity they do not have to deal with an always changing environment and the presence of parasites. In captivity, coral farmers are able to monitor and adjust water parameters for optimal coral health. Farmers are also able to inspect every coral for parasites such as redbugs, flatworms, and sundial snails. Corals in the wild have to rely on marine inhabitants to remove such parasites, which are not always guaranteed, and can have a devastating effect on hobbyists’ tanks if introduced with a disease. Wild-caughtfish are also very vulnerable to disease and parasites. Wild caught fish also tend to have shorter life spans due to how they are collected. In some cases as Nick Houtman talks about, “Divers sometimes use sodium cyanide solutions to stun the fish.†The collection method usually has a devastating effect of the fish’s life span. There are many groups out there that are practicing sustainably breeding practices and have been successful with breeding a number of captive raised marine fish. This in turn leads to aqua-cultured fish. These fish have many benefits over wild caught fish. Aqua-cultured fish are less prone to disease such as; Ich and Black Velvet. The fish are raised in a controlled environment where parasites and disease can be caught quickly and the fish can be quarantined until they are completely healthy. Fish produced in captivity tend to have a longer lifespan as well, since the fish is accustom to the confined environment.
Aqua-cultured corals have been sustainably grown in an artificial environment for many generations making them ideal specimens for transferring to a hobbyist tank.Wild-caught corals on the other hand do not adjust as well Jeremy Torr explains,“corals are quite sensitive and are also quite easy to kill.†Corals harvested from the wild have a very hard time adjusting to a controlled environment. More aqua-cultured corals are being offered on the market, because they are hardier and easier to maintain,the increase in demand for them has grown. The impact of collecting corals from the wild is slowly subsiding, due to the increasing demand of aqua-cultured corals.Aqua-cultured fish on the other hand have only been around a short time. With conservation efforts constantly increasing new methods and techniques are beingused to understand and successfully breed new marine species in captivity.
Coral farmers are all over theworld, from Fiji to Kansas. Aqua-cultured corals and fish are grown under the close supervision of these coral farmers. They only harvest coral frags from their own coral mother colonies, meaning there is no impact on the marine ecosystem. Mother colonies originally come from wild harvested corals, usually from a colony that is not doing well in the wild. Mother colonies are then propagated into smaller sizes, “then the corals are left to grow in the coral farms for 6 to 14 months,†Jeremy Torr notes. Coral farm systems are specialized to increase the growth of particular corals. Coral farmers are applying techniques that result in tremendous growth rates, which in turn, are able to keep up with demand in the market for these corals. With the rise in demand for aqua-cultured corals came the rise in demand for aqua-cultured fish.
Marine ornamental fish breeders have become more prevalent across the country with the growing concern of our reefs and the rising demand in aqua-cultured marine fish. This also helps remove some of the stress that is occurring on our reefs due to overfishing. Being able to offer captive bred marine fish is a great step forward in the marine hobby. Without the coral farmers and fish breeders we might have lost the reefs a long time ago. However, with new initiatives and the willingness of volunteers, we are slowly trying to recover the reefs back to their natural state.
Although coral reefs cover less than one percent of the planet’s surface, they are the world’s most biologically diverse marine ecosystems. Around the world, human activities are rapidly degrading and destroying coral reefs, threatening the survival of these valuable and ancient marine ecosystems, and the communities and economies that depend on them. There is a lot of concern about preserving the few natural coral reefs we have left. Luckily many hobbyist, coral farmers, and marine biologist are taking part in the preservation of these reefs and are helping with recovery of the reefs and their inhabitants. Many hobbyist have chosen to only purchase aqua-cultured coral and fish, that in itself helps minimize the impact on coral reefs. The responsibility to preserve and protect the coral reefs falls upon everyone.
Work Cited
Houtman, Nick. Aquaculture to Save the Coral Reefs.Umaine.edu, Feb. 2004. Web.
15 Sept. 2011.
Torr, Jeremy. FijiCoral Farming: Transplanted Corals Provide for Livelihoods.
Gaiadiscovery.com,21 Apr. 2011. Web. 15 Sept. 2011.
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